Bonds of Love
by DarkEnvy97
Summary: Her mom was the queen of the celestial spirit world and her dad was just a human. Many years later after her mom passed Lucy Heartfilia comes across some old manuscripts that detailed an alliance made long ago between the humans, the spirit realm and the dragons, only to be complete by a certain union of two young children. Please be kind.. this is my first ever fan fic. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

She had always been alone. It had been her unfortunate lot in life to lose her mother at an age when she could hardly remember her. Her father tried his best in the face of such devastation, but eventually became an unapproachable man who also ended up disappearing from her life. In her stead she had been raised by her mother's loyal friends and servants, though to Lucy Heartfilia they weren't servants at all. They were her teachers, caregivers, and most importantly, they were the closest thing she had to family, however, they were all celestial spirits. It was because of this small detail that Lucy had few relationships with humans, and only really with those that kept her parents' mansion in working order. She didn't mind though, she was just as close to them as she was to her celestial friends.

She was the sole heir to the Celestial Queen's throne, making her the princess of the Celestial Spirit Realm. Unfortunately that title didn't entail her any special powers, and as far as politics go celestial spirits are actually quite peaceful and rarely needed any "queenly" intervention. To her knowledge, the Queen was really only needed when it came to matters that dealt outside the spirit realm. Lucy had been fortunate enough that during her lifetime the Celestial Spirit King was acting as regent until she was ready and willing to take her mother's throne therefore, she had never really had to perform any of those duties herself. Lucy was however quite special, for she was the product of a celestial being and her human lover. It was uncommon for humans and spirits to have romantic relationships, though it certainly wasn't unheard of. What was truly unorthodox was for them to get married and produce a child.

Lucy Heartfilia was said offspring. Her parents had met long ago and had fallen deeply in love. They decided to follow their hearts and be together always despite the differences in their realms and lives.

Lucy had no idea why she was suddenly thinking of her parents' history. Her mind was definitely in the clouds today, and apparently while she was off in her own world her body had subconsciously steered her to the great mansion's two storied library. It had been a long, long time since she had been there on a whim. She decided to take full advantage of her free time and she pushed one of the giant double doors in.

The library was well light, with bookshelves that lined the walls of both floors and they all reached to the top of the ceilings. On the far side of the library, opposite the double doors, there were giant windows that made up the wall in that part of the library. She always found solace among books, and she wondered internally why she hadn't been here in a while.

Lucy breathed in the scent of the library deeply as she started browsing through the bookshelves. Despite her love for all books it was to her utter dismay that she still wasn't familiar with every single book in this library. She ran her hands over the spines of the all the books she saw with no particular book in mind when she came across a peculiar title. _Celestial Alliance_ it read. _Huh, interesting_ she thought. She had never heard of a celestial alliance before. Curiosity got the best of her and she carefully slid the book out of its niche on the shelf.

Opening the book, Lucy saw that on the front page there was a neatly hand written note telling its reader to also look into several other books for more in depth history and references. According to the note these books contained vital information about the supposed Celestial Alliance. Intrigued, she went and gathered all the required books and even some old manuscripts. She carefully put the old papers neatly around her and quickly began reading, quite eager to find out about this mysterious Celestial Alliance.

The alliance had been forged for the protection of both realms and all those that inhabited them against the wrath of Acnologia, should he ever return. It had been many centuries since the dreaded Dragon of Desruction had laid waste to the kingdoms of Earthland. Then, as legend goes, he just vanished and the only proof of his existence was the ruin and sorrow that he left behind. It had been prophesized long ago that when the celestial realm and the human realm were united in one body that the feared and dreaded Acnologia would return and only by the bonds of true, unadulterated love would he be vanquished.

Taking it upon themselves, the leaders of the humans, the spirits, and the dragons devised a plan to better their odds. They decided to have the celestial princess, in whom both the celestial and human worlds collided, and the dragon prince fall in love. By doing so, and with the armies of Earthland behind them, they could finally be rid of Acnologia once and for all, but it was not to be. Not long after the alliance was forged disaster struck for all involved and their plan and the alliance was all but forgotten.

Along with the books and documents that detailed the alliance and her betrothal, Lucy found a thick envelope with her name elegantly written on the front. It had never been opened and the wax seal was still intact, figuring that it could only belong to her she carefully ripped open the envelope. Inside she found a letter in handwriting that she had not seen for a very, very long time, and accompanied with the letter were odd golden keys with markings that were all too familiar to her. She began to read the letter, tears already pooling in her eyes.

_My dearest daughter_,

_If you are reading this know that I love you and I'm so sorry that I can no longer be with you. I wished for us to have a long and happy life together and that I could show you my world as well as your father's. We knew from the moment of your birth that you were special and unique, for there has never been anyone quite like you, my darling. You are the child from a union of both the spirit world and the human world. You are truly blessed, my child. But know that with this blessing comes a heavy burden, for your birth marked a time of peril to come. Within your lifetime the monster Acnologia will return and it has been foretold that only by your bonds of love will he be vanquished._

_My daughter, it was never my wish to do so and I ask your forgiveness now, but in light of these words we betrothed you to the strongest ally possible. It was never our wish to take away your right to love and choose our own partner. Please know it was the hardest thing I've done as Queen of the Celestial Realm. You are to marry the son of the Dragon King Igneel, it is our hope that you two will learn to love each other and through your bonds of love we will all be saved. _

_I've enclosed 10 of our 12 strongest friends' keys. May they help you on your journey and in this battle._

_I will always love you my Lucy._

**Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! I have a lot more written out, but I'm so new at this, that I'm not sure if I should even type it out. Let me know what you guys think please! 3**


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying my little story. I have plenty written in a comp book that I write in at work..it's transcribing that takes me some time. My goal is to post a chapter every week or so.

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><p>It was with tears streaming down her face that Lucy's attention now diverted back to the golden objects in her hand. Keys. They were keys. They had zodiac symbols on them. Why were her friends' symbols on these olden keys? Slowly standing up and using the expansive bookshelf to steady her movements Lucy left the library leaving a stack of papers and several open books behind her. Turning the corner right outside the library she ran into her eccentric maid and friend, Virgo.<p>

"There you are, Princess. We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Oh… Virgo. Hi" Lucy answered distractedly.

"Princess? Is something the matter?"

"I, um… I, uh. I'm not really sure, but I found this, and these were with it." Lucy showed Virgo the envelope and the golden keys with somewhat shaky hands. Unable to keep her emotions in check any longer she fell to her knees sobbing and shaking and clutching the keys closely to her chest.

"I'm sorry Virgo, I'm sorry. I'm making a mess. I just found out so much about mom and… and I…" Her voice broke and with that she choked up again and more sobs shook her body and anything else she wanted to say was drowned away.

"Princess? It might be best if you sat down. I'll bring you some tea." Virgo picked Lucy up from the ivory tiled floor and led her to one of the Heartfilia mansion's many drawing rooms, leaving her there momentarily. When she came back she seemed to have everyone in tow! Leo, Sagittarius, Aries, Taurus, Aquarius, everyone was there!

"Why are you all here?" Lucy asked, wiping her tear stained as Virgo set a steaming hot cup of tea in front of her.

"Because, Lady Lucy, it's time that you knew everything and left this mansion to fulfill your late mother's wishes," Capricorn responded.

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><p>Lucy sat enraptured as mostly Capricorn and Leo told her everything she had just found out but with more vivid detail. Then how all of a sudden everything also fell apart beginning with Queen Leila's death and Igneel's disappearance. Not long after their involuntary disinvolvement, the alliance was forgotten and never carried out therefore, Lucy had now just found out and Igneel's son, wherever he was, was none the wiser.<p>

"So you see Lady Lucy you now have to go and find a way to fulfill your mother's dying wish. Try and find those to help you get rid of Acnologia and should you find Igneel's son, the Dragon Prince, marry him."

"Marry him?! You still think I'm expected to marry him? I think the circumstances have changed a little, don't you Capricorn?!" she said panicking.

"It is your duty as princess of our world to carry out the late Queen's last requests Miss Lucy," he responded. To her complete dismay all the others nodded their consent with his words, and deep down she knew that they were right. She had to see this through, for her mom at least.

"Ok. Ok. You're all right, so what should I do? Oh, what about these golden keys? I've never seen them before but they each have one of your symbols?" She picked up one of the keys resting next to the now cold tea.

"That's because they are our keys" responded Leo. "As you know, in the rest of Earthland there are many forms of magic used. Some of that is celestial spirit magic and these keys allow humans to make contracts with spirits. Long ago your late mother, the Queen, collected as many as she could to help you when you left. We-" he motioned to the rest of the group "are those golden zodiac keys."

"What about the other two? She asked, knowing full well that Libra and Pisces were not among these keys and whom she'd maybe met once or twice.

"Ah. Their keys belong to a very beautiful young lady and that's why their keys aren't here. But when it is time they will show up to support their princess." Lucy rolled her eyes at Leo's answer. He just couldn't help himself around beautiful women…or women in general for that matter.

"But what do I need keys for? You guys are here all the time. I've never needed them before, why now?"

"Because your mother wanted you to be raised with knowledge of our spirit world and she wanted to live with your father. She decided that the best way to do that was to create a rift between the two dimensions in this mansion, which is why we can be here without being summoned. When you leave here, you will need to take those keys with you" Capricorn stated very matter-of-factly.

"Also, Princess, it will help with your cover! You will be a celestial wizard," chimed in Virgo.

"Yes, you can't go telling everyone that you're the celestial princess" said Leo who, like everyone else, was now lounging about the drawing room.

"I guess you're right about that...hmm…so the sooner we leave the better, right?"

"Pretty much. Do you know where you're gonna start?"

"I'm not sure Leo." Then suddenly her eyes shined brightly with the perfect plan. "I know! I'll join a guild! Not just any guild either! I'll join Fairy Tail! I've always heard great and magnificent stories about their powerful wizards! That's where I'll start!" She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself, she had always admired the Fairy Tail guild and now she'd get to be a part of the renowned group.

"Can we go now? This is so boring and I have to go get ready for our date" interjected Aquarius. Her snarky comments never failed.

"Oh, uh, yeah, yeah! You guys didn't have to stick around for everything!"

"Finally!" and with that Aquarius left and so did everyone else, but not without Aries apologizing several times.

Lucy was now left by herself in the drawing room where the evening light was slowly waning. She left the drawing room and went to her bedroom and straight for a shower. She really wanted to think everything through and a shower always seemed to work in that respect. Lucy really was excited at the prospect of joining her absolute favorite guild, but her grim future was weighing down in her. Plus! She had to get married to a man she had never even met! Assuming she found him, of course… How was love supposed to fix all of this anyway?! She'd never even had a boyfriend, a fact that Aquarius never let her forget. She looked down at her wrinkly fingers and decided that it was time to get out. Turning off the water she grabbed a fluffy towel, courtesy of Aries, and wrapped it around her slender yet voluptuous figure. Lucy climbed into bed not bothering with clothes, because really who was going to come in while she slept?

That night the anxiety crept into her dreams and she dreamt of dragons and a journey to join a guild where she might not be welcome at all. It was a fitful night and she awoke not feeling rested at all.

The next day Virgo helped her get ready for their travels, which was really quite unhelpful because Virgo insisted on the most impractical and flashy celestial outfits. In the end Lucy just packed a couple of skirts, some tank tops, several thigh highs, and lastly her favorite pair of boots. She felt ready, and there was not time to waste. Deciding to leave the very next morning, she invited her celestial friends for one last banquet since she wasn't sure when they would all be together again. She asked the staff to make all of the household favorites and also invited them to join in the night's festivities. Everyone was so excited and a little sad at the same time. This adventure marked a big change in all of their lives.

Before the banquet, Lucy want back to the library to gather all the manuscripts and the copy of the treaty. She had a feeling that they would come in handy, and if she should ever cross paths with Igneel's son she would need substantial proof of their parent's arrangement. She grabbed all she needed and went up to her room to put the papers neatly and carefully in her pack.

That night Lucy let Virgo dress her in the fanciest celestial outfit that she could find. This was, after all, a spectacular feast they were attending. She couldn't remember the last time they all had this much fun. Leo was even on his best behavior! He only came up to her once to tell her how beautiful and marvelous she looked. The food was amazing and they all ate a little more than they should have. Virgo even danced for them all.

Later that night Lucy went to bed ready to face this adventure that had been placed before her. After all, she could do anything with the help of her friends.

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><p>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it was a little slow, but it gets better I promise... I hope. Please let me know what you guys think! Thanks again for reading.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Guys! I'm sooo soo sorry that this has taken two months! My work and personal life have been nothing short of crazy. This is a short chapter, just something to put out there.. things have settled and hopefully I will be updating more frequently again.

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><p>Lucy woke up startled at her unfamiliar surroundings. Then she remembered, she was on a train on her way to the city of Magnolia to find and join the Fairy Tail guild. Despite the anxious excitement that ran through her body a feeling of loneliness washed over her and she immediately clutched the keys that hung from her belt for some sense of comfort. Even though they weren't physically there, she felt instantaneous ease knowing that her friends were with her.<p>

It had only taken one quick lesson to learn how the keys worked. She was told that she couldn't summon them all at once because even as the princess of the celestial realm, she was still half human and there were still limitations to her magic power. She would have to play with her limit, however, because she had never needed to delve into her magic power due to the dimensional rift in her parents' mansion. Capricorn, being the most meticulous of them all, warned her to use caution in the beginning and with any signs of fatigue to close their gates. He assured her that they would all understand and that they would help her through this until she was sufficiently aware of her new restrictions.

As the train rumbled to a stop Lucy began gathering her few belongings that included a book and a small suitcase. She tapped the keys on her hip once more for good measure and slowly made her way off the train and into the bustling platform of Magnolia's only train station. Finally off the train she noticed that the train station was actually quite large and housed many platforms, some which had trains and many which didn't. Making her way towards the exit of the station that lead into the city something caught her eye. She looked again unsure of what she saw the first time and sure enough, it was a flying blue cat talking to a pink haired boy.

"C'mon Natsu! We'll never make it if you don't get on!" pleaded the cat.

"Can't we find another way? I hate trains Happy" replied the boy sullenly.

"You know this is the fastest way, plus this is a pretty short ride according to Erza."

Lucy didn't hear more of that conversation as she slowly made her way away from them and the duo boarded the train, although the boy was entirely reluctant. The scene made her giggle. Was it really possible to hate trains _that _much? She hoped that she could see him again now that she would be living in this town, he was entirely attractive. It was an errant thought that she allowed herself to indulge in because, in all honestly, what were the odds that she would ever see the pink hair boy with the flying cat ever again?

According to all that she'd read, the Fairy Tail Guild Hall was not hard to find. It was on the other side of town as the station, facing the ocean. She just needed to keep going straight…theoretically. A knot was building deep in the pit of her stomach as she mulled over this sudden and rash decision and how close she was to its fruition. _What if they don't accept me? What if they don't like me? What am I going to do then? I can't do this alone! _No sooner had these thoughts run through her head when suddenly she was on the ground, her book sprawled on the cobblestone street and she was looking straight at another set of bewildered eyes that belonged to a girl about her age.

"I'm so sorry!" said the blue haired girl. "I really need to pay more attention to where I'm walking. I was just so wrapped up in my book and I didn't even care to look up and then-"

"No, no, no" Lucy said, raising her hands apologetically. "I wasn't paying attention either… I was so lost in my own thoughts" she said standing up, giving the girl a hand and her book back. She managed to put her own book back in her purse to avoid any more mishaps.

"Thank you so much! I really am sorry! My name's Levy, are you new in town?"

"Hi, I'm Lucy. Is that painfully obvious?" she replied sheepishly.

"A little" she giggled. "I've just never seen you around. What brings you to Magnolia?"

"Oi, short stuff. Where are you?" Lucy looked behind Levy to see a tall, muscular, and mean-looking guy, covered in piercings walking up to them with a scowl on his face.

Immediately the bluenette perked up. "Oh Gajeel! This is Lucy."

"Hmph"

"We kinda ran into each other" said Levy with a giggle. They made such an odd yet adorable pair thought Lucy.

"Oh…um well I was looking for the wizard guild hall that's supposed to be in Magnolia" she said, hoping that by some miracle they could point her in the right direction.

"Oh! Cool! We're going there now, aren't we Gajeel? Are you a wizard?" She said excitedly. She was practically leaping with joy.

"Yeah, yeah… I guess I am." Lucy stammered as she pulled out her precious golden keys.

"No way! You're a celestial wizard! I've never met one before. Well c'mon, let's go! The master would love to meet you!" Levy exclaimed as she grabbed Lucy's free hand with her own. All three wizards walked along the street and as Levy and Lucy got better acquainted, Lucy noticed that Gajeel walked a little further behind but her never took his eyes off the blue haired girl.

Soon she could see it. It was magnificent. The building towered above all those that surrounded it, and even from where they were standing Lucy could hear the boisterous laughter and noise. Oh how she desperately longed to be a part of this guild.

Reluctantly Lucy followed Levy and Gajeel up to the front of the guild as everyone stopped to stare at the new arrival then quickly went back to their own business.

"Master! I've brought someone that would like to meet you." Levy said to the old man sitting on the bar as Gajeel took a seat elsewhere.

"Oh? And who might this be?" He said with half closed eyes that examined Lucy from head to toe.

"I'm Lucy, sir. I'd… I'd like to become a member of Fairy Tail please!" It all just sort of spilled out. So ungraceful… Capricorn would be displeased.

"Come here child." Lucy stepped forward to be really being scrutinized by the old man.

"You have a good heart, my girl. Mira Jane bring the stamp."

"Of course Master!" replied the beautiful young woman that had been at his side. She came back and after asking Lucy where she wanted it, stamped the Fairy Tail guild emblem on the back of her right hand.

"So" asked Mira Jane "what kind of magic do you use?"

"I can't believe it" Lucy said with tears of joy in her eyes as Levy hugged her. "I didn't think it'd be as easy as this. I'm so happy!" she exclaimed wiping fresh tears.

"Congrats Lulu!" said Levy. _Huh. Lulu._ No one had ever called her that before. She really liked it, somehow it felt right, it made her feel like she belonged.

"Umm.. I'm a celestial wizard" she finally responded, and with that she was surrounded. Everyone that had been laughing and watching with interest had gotten up to introduce themselves and welcome her to Fairy Tail. Lucy felt so relieved and welcome and she couldn't wait to meet everyone. Already she wasn't quite so lonely and she was sure that with Fairy Tail's help she could carry out her mother's last wish.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Sorry again for the horrendous wait!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! DarkEnvy here! Back with another chapter for your enjoyment :) no more 2 month wait haha! Longer chapter but not with too much action, more like an intermediate step.

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><p>The next day Lucy went to the guild early in the morning, she had managed to get a room at an inn for the night but she knew that she needed to ask around for a cheap apartment. She was also eager to really get to know everyone else in the guild. So far she had met two older men that seemed to always be there drinking and smoking, one other that said the word "manly" one too many times, a woman that could drink her weight in liquor, Mirajane, the Master, Gajeel and of course, Levy. Last night Levy had also promised to help her scour the papers in search of someplace suitable to her budget and also provide a proper tour of Magnolia.<p>

Today there seemed to be new faces in the guild that had not been there the day before. She couldn't help but notice an odd couple. A blue haired girl who showed too much affection and the half-naked guy who seemed to want absolutely none of that attention, but had neither the will nor heart to tell her to stop.

"Oh that's Gray and Juvia" Levy said as she walked over and sat next to her. "Are you ready Lulu? I'm going to be just a few minutes if that's alright with you."

"Oh no! Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You're already doing me a huge fav-"she trailed off when the bright sun blinded her as the door opened. She turned from the rising Levy to look at the door and there she saw him. The boy with the pink hair… and his flying cat. _Talk about making an entrance_. He opened the double doors and stood there looking quite impressive with a wide grin plastered on face, and his white scarf swaying with the wind.

"We're back guys!" Everyone had looked when the doors opened and seeing him they rapidly went back to their tasks at hand. Apparently he was just another wizard, but Lucy couldn't seem to stop staring and suddenly he seemed to notice her. She saw his own fixed stare and turned away with a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. Why she was blushing, she had no idea, but she couldn't stand to be scrutinized by him any longer than that. The light was blocked when an impressive redhead clad in armor came up behind him. _Titania!_ That looked like the famous Titania. Oh what she wouldn't give to meet and befriend the powerful female wizard.

She had been so wrapped up in her own head that she hadn't noticed the trio making their way towards her until they were right in front of her.

"So you're the new girl, huh?" asked the boy with a big lazy grin.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

"Yes. Welcome…"

"Lucy. My name's Lucy" she piped up nervously. She couldn't believe it! Erza Titania had talked to her! The excitement had her squealing in her mind.

"I'm Natsu and this here's Happy! It's great to have a new member." She blushed a deeper shade of at his familiar mannerisms. She couldn't help but notice the friendly banter between Natsu and Happy and smiled. For some reason that made her feel at ease, at home even. Natsu sat beside her while still arguing with Happy about what to have for breakfast. She watched Erza walk away from their table and head to the bar where the Master sat at his usual perch and began speaking with him. It really did feel like home already, everyone was so welcoming and open with her, it almost brought tears to her eyes. The only thing that would have made it better was if her friends were with her. With that thought she looked down at her keys and on impulse pulled them out.

"Whoa! That's _awesome_! You're a celestial wizard?! How cool is that?! Happy look!"

"Aye sir" said the cat as both he and Natsu examined her friends' keys.

"I've never seen any keys like this. Come to think of it, I've never met a celestial wizard before, and now you've even joined Fairy Tail."

"You've never met a celestial wizard before?"

"Most of us haven't, actually" said an approaching Levy. "I only immediately recognized your magic keys because I've read about them before. It's actually quite a rare magic type. Not like, say, dragon slayer magic, but rare nonetheless." When she said that Natsu's face spread into a wide grin as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. _Dragon Slayer magic?! Maybe I can start there… users of that kind of magic may help me find Igneel's son! _

"Oh, I didn't really know that, I guess I've always been surrounded by it, so I didn't realize. Are you ready Levy?" Lucy asked as calmly as possible. She didn't want to let her excited emotions show, finally she had a lead on how to start searching for the dragon's son.

"Ready? Where're you going? Can we come too? We wanna get to know Lucy better." Natsu said as he jumped from his chair.

"Aye sir!"

Their eagerness floored Lucy, but she couldn't help and smile at the duo. She gathered her keys once more and anchored them to her leather belt alongside her whip.

"Actually Lulu I came to tell you that I can't come along today. Gajeel needs me to go with him on a job" she said sheepishly.

"That's perfect! We can take her!"

Levy smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm really sorry Lulu."

"No! No! Don't worry about it Levy. I'm sure the three of us can manage."

"Natsu, Happy, promise me you'll show her a good time, ok?"

"Aye sir!"

"You bet Levy! Now get going, Metal head over there ain't gonna wait for long."

Levy's cheeks turned scarlet as she smiled and ran off after giving Lucy a quick hug. Lucy wondered what was going on between those two, but she could definitely tell that Levy was head over heels for Gajeel. Now she looked towards a smiling Natsu who took her hand, pulled her up and semi-dragged her out of the guild hall. It looked like she was getting to know Magnolia one way or another today. Lucy was glad to make new friends and happily walked through the bustling streets of Magnolia along Natsu and Happy.

"Man I'm starving! We never did eat at the guild, huh? I could really go for some food. What'd'ya say Lucy? Wanna go eat?"

"I could really go for some yummy fish, Natsu!" pitched in Happy.

'Nah, I don't want fish. We always have fish!"

"Because they're so yummy and delicious!"

Lucy laughed aloud enjoying herself immensely, Natsu's lighthearted mood was infectious.

"Yeah, sure. Let's eat!"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"Aye sir!"

Natsu took her to the best burger joint in Magnolia and she had to admit, it was pretty delicious. She was astounded at the amount of food he could put away! He seemed so small for all that food, where on Earthland was he putting it?! Lucy paid more attention to him and noticed that he was actually quite toned, and that was putting it mildly. It seemed that he really did use all that energy somehow. _Hmm…and it certainly shows._ Wait! She couldn't be thinking like that! She didn't know him and she was…she was…betrothed. It was still so hard to even think the word.

Her emotions must've been a shining beacon on her face because Natsu stopped eating and asked her what was wrong.

"Oh haha. Nothing, sorry. Sorry I just thought of something"

"What was it?"

"I just realized that I've nowhere to live, that's all' she lied.

"No problem!" he replied, not really believing her. "Happy and I will help you search. In the mean time you can stay with us! Right Happy?"

"Aye sir!"

"It'll be great having you around!" He said with an honest smile.

If Lucy had been surprised by the pink haired boy before, it was nothing to how surprised she was now. She was completely taken aback by his generous offer. She nodded her thanks, afraid that if she spoke she would end up shedding tears. She had never expected this much kindness from this many people.

After lunch the trio set out to explore the town.

"That was probably the best lunch ever! Thanks Lucy!"

"I'm so full I could pop" said Happy, holding his now rather large belly.

"Thanks? What for? I didn't do anything at all."

"Well, you went out to lunch with us, duh." Natsu told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Throughout the rest of the day they were in and out of shops and apartment buildings, but all for nothing. They found nothing anywhere or the places were so expensive, even for her! She may have grown up in a mansion but she was actually quite frugal about money, plus she didn't need all that much. She had never really been the extravagant kind and she didn't want to attract attention either.

The day had begun to wane and red and yellows decorated the late afternoon sky. By this point the trio had exhausted all of their leads and Lucy had sufficiently explored all of the shops, from the bigger corporate ones to the quaint family owned ones. She really couldn't remember the last time she had had this much fun with anyone other than her celestial friends. Every time they entered a shop Natsu and Happy had made a point of trying on the dorkiest outfits, making funny noises, and having the most nonsensical conversations. It had gotten to the point where Lucy could not stop smiling and her sides hurt from laughing.

"Man it's getting dark, you ready to go Luce? I think Happy's a little tired" he said as he looked at the half asleep cat leaning on his leg.

"Are you sure Natsu? I can just stay at the inn again, it's really not a problem for me at all."

"Hell no! You're our friend and you're not gonna stay at a strange place, you're coming with us! C'mon let's go get your stuff from the guild hall." He said all this as he grabbed her and half-dragged her towards the guild hall this time.

"Aye sir! Let's go!" Happy exclaimed with renewed vigor.

As they walked to the guild hall Lucy was having a small panic attack as she really thought about what was going on. _What are they all gonna think?! All the other guild members! They're gonna look at me differently because I'm spending the night at Natsu's house. Oh crap!_

"M-maybe I should just go back to the inn" she stammered.

"Nah! Besides we're already here," responded Natsu, opening one of the double doors that lead to the inside of the Fairy Tail guild hall and walking in. To Lucy's complete dismay everyone was still there! _Don't they ever leave?! Now everyone will know and I'll be cast out! I can't believe this is happening to me. _

"Hello Lucy. Were you successful in your hunt for a place to live?" asked Erza, still scaring Lucy despite her innocent question.

"Nah" answered Natsu.

"She's gonna stay with us until she finds a place" continued Happy.

"We're just here to get her stuff and then we're off."

_Here it comes_ she thought, her heart pounding, waiting for the looks and questions.

"Oh, good. Great idea Natsu, we can't very well have her stay at some inn when she has friends here," said Erza approvingly. Natsu looked proud of himself as he received Erza's praise at his good idea.

"That is quite the good idea" a sweet voice piped up behind them. Lucy turned around to see Mirajane coming up behind them holding her suitcase and bag. "Also, a few boxes came for you Lucy. We can just keep them here until you get a place to live."

"Thanks so much Mira! I'm sorry, I just figured that I'd have gotten a place by now."

"No worries! They'll be safe in the basement until you get a place. I'd offer you to stay at the Fairy Lodge where most of us live, but unfortunately there's only two rooms left and one is always used as storage and the other is in shambles right now."

"Don't worry about it Mira. I'll be fine. I'll just stay with Natsu and Happy for tonight, and I'll find something tomorrow for sure," she answered with a smile. As much as she was dreading the rumors, Lucy really didn't mind staying with Natsu and happy for the night.

"Just be careful that flame brain doesn't try anything Lucy, he isn't the type to be trusted," said the shirtless Gray.

"Hey asshole! Don't go spreading those kinds of lies!" fumed Natsu.

"Gray! Don't scare Lucy!" said Erza, with the scariest face Lucy had seen on her yet. She gave Gray the most terrifying death glare that Lucy had ever seen. Lucy made a mental note to never get on Erza's bad side, it looked like a dangerous and life threatening experience.

"Lucy don't let Gray scare you, it really is a good idea to stay with Natsu until you find a place. It was kind of him to offer. Just tell me if he steps out of line and I'll deal with him," she said nicely, which somehow made the threat even scarier to Lucy. Gray had already backed off making innuendos to Lucy and was now simply picking a fight with Natsu, who was more than up for a fight with the practically naked wizard.

"I'll go ahead and tell Levy when she returns then. I know she'll be curious."

"Thanks so much Mirajane"

"No problem Lucy! What are friends for?" Mira said smiling kindly.

It would be an understatement to say that Lucy was taken aback by everyone's kindness. They'd known her for all of two days and they had already taken her in and treated her as family. She felt so happy and cherished and so incredibly blessed to be this fortunate.

"Lucy!" said a startled Natsu, "Why are you crying? Did Gray say something to upset you? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"Pssh like you could, get real."

_Crying? Am I crying?_ She lifted a hand to her face and sure enough there were tears slowly trickling down her face.

"Oh. I didn't realize. I'm sorry," Lucy wiped the remaining tears from her face and rubbed her eyes clean.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Happy asked her.

"Nothing at all. I was just thinking about how nice you've all been to me. I haven't done anything to deserve any of your kindness, but even so it makes me so happy," she sniffled and wiped a few errant tears with a huge smile. A soft smile spread across Erza's face as she heard Lucy's words.

"You're one of us now Lucy."

"Yeah Luce!" Natsu said putting an arm around her, "and we're a family. Being a member of Fairy Tail means something to us, right Happy?!"

"Aye sir!"

"Now come on, we gotta go home!"

Natsu, Lucy and Happy all left with her bag in tow. Lucy felt so happy and all of her fears had somehow instantly disappeared. She really felt like she was a part of Fairy Tail. A wide smile spread across her face as she followed Happy and Natsu to a little trail that went to the outskirts of the city.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading guys! Let me know what you think! There's a ton more where this came from, hopefully all this will end nicely, ha.<p> 


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